Edith Lucile Meyer

Funeral services for Edith Meyer will be at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, May 3, 2013, at the First Baptist Church with Rev. Ron Argo and Rev. Mike Taylor officiating. Interment will be in the Alva Municipal Cemetery under the direction of Marshall Funeral Home of Alva. Edith Lucile (DeWerff) Meyer, daughter of the late Chester Leon and Clara Lena (Scheufler) DeWerff, was born December 29, 1924, in her parents’ farm home near Ellinwood, Kansas. She passed away April 30, 2013, at Alva, Oklahoma, at the age of 88 years, 4 months, and 1 day. As a farm kid and the eldest of five children, Edith had lots of responsibilities while growing up. She cooked, cleaned, ironed, sewed, gathered eggs, milked cows, and did whatever other farm chores were necessary. Due to her mother’s frequent illnesses, she often had primary responsibility for the care of her younger brothers and sister. Edith loved music and played the bass clarinet in the high school band. She graduated high school in 1941. While an accomplished and talented student, she was prevented from attending college by family obligations. Consequently, she invested herself in her church, 4-H, and county home extension work. She was the Barton County Assistant Home Extension Agent during World War II. Her love of church and home extension work never ended. While at a Southwest Conference for North American Baptist Youth in 1947, she was introduced by Evelyn Prang (Roland’s cousin) to her future husband, Roland Elmer Meyer. They dated until he entered the Korean War. While he was in the Army, Edith wrote him many letters and sent him care packages. After his return, they married on July 12, 1954, at Ellinwood, Kansas. The couple lived in Attica, Kansas, where Roland taught high school math and industrial arts and then in Vermillion, South Dakota, where Roland earned his Master’s Degree in mathematics. During this time, their daughters, Elaine Kay and Maxine Ann, were born. In 1959, they moved to Alva, Oklahoma, where Roland taught math at Northwestern until his retirement. Their son, Bruce Lynn, was born in Alva in 1961. Edith was a devoted mother and housewife. She was an excellent seamstress and enjoyed making clothes for her children, for her grandchildren and later for her great-grandchildren. She gardened, canned, made quilts and cross-stitch pictures, tended to her flower and vegetable gardens, and loved fishing at the family pond. As a member of the Town and Country Home Extension Club, Edith won many awards for her sewing, cooking, quilting, canning, and flower arranging at the Woods County Fair. In recognition of her successes, she was regularly asked to judge competitions throughout the area. Her quilts and cross-stitch are cherished keepsakes for her family members to enjoy. Edith was a devout Christian and a dedicated member of the First Baptist Church in Alva. She sang in the choir, played in the bell choir, was a long-time member of the WMU organization, taught Sunday School, and cooked and sponsored at the Falls Creek Church Camp, as well as volunteering in many other capacities. She loved babies and worked in the nursery for many years, too. Besides her church work, Edith volunteered countless hours at both the Share Hospital and Rest Home. Christmas was Edith’s favorite time of year. She loved shopping throughout the year for the perfect gift for all her family members and loved decorating her house with many of her own Christmas creations. Making her cross-stitch Christmas stockings for every family member became a challenge as her family increased over the years, but she gladly created one for each new addition. Watching her family open gifts was special to her. She also hosted many Christmas Sunday School parties in her home. Edith relished spending time with her family, often challenging her children and grandchildren to board games, ping-pong, and other sports. She was intensely competitive with her family when playing games, virtually always winning Scrabble. She was a loyal spectator at her children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events. Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by a daughter, Elaine Kay, her husband, Roland Elmer, and a brother, Kenneth DeWerff. She is survived by her daughter, Maxine Cunningham and husband, Myron, of Norman; son, Bruce Meyer and wife, Dixie, of Alva; two brothers, Vernon DeWerff and wife, Marian, of Ellinwood, Neil DeWerff and wife, Barbara, of Ellis; one sister, Virginia Smith and husband, Edwin, of Phoenix; sister-in-law, Bessie DeWerff of Ellinwood; six grandchildren, Jared Cunningham and wife, April, of Norman, Kendall Speer and husband, Blair, of Norman, Kristy, Austin, Justin, and Mitchell Meyer, all of Alva; two great grandchildren, Walker and Jaxson Cunningham; and other relatives and many friends. Memorial contributions may be made through the funeral home to the special activity fund at Share Convalescent Home.

Edith Lucile Meyer

December 29, 1924 - April 30, 2013